A little contribution we made to the latest Frankie Magazine. Beautiful photo by the talented Hilary Walker. Much more eye candy and fun things in the latest Frankie, if you haven’t already got a copy!

Step one: Ensure the labels of the bottles are completely removed (soak in hot water for 10 minutes) and all sticky residue is gone (eucalyptus oil will do the job). Once this is done, ensure the surface is completely dry and clean.

Step two: Using the sticky tape, tape a line around the bottle at the level you want the colour to come up to, ensuring the tape is even and aligns on each end to create a solid even line. Once you have a solid line, circle the tape around to the top of the bottle ensuring you cover all the glass.

Step three: Make sure the spray can is well shaken and you have tested it is producing an even coverage on some newspaper.

Step four: Wearing the rubber gloves, use a finger to balance the bottle upside down so the area you are going to spray is at the top. Using a smooth even motion, hold the spray can at least 30cm from the bottle, and begin spraying to achieve an even coverage (you may find it easiest to rotate the bottle, or the hand you’re using to hold it)

Step five: Once a layer has been created and there is an smooth even coverage, allow to dry. We used sticks in the garden bed to rest the bottles upside down.

Step six: Once dry, check the bottle for coverage. You may wish to repeat the above two steps, depending on the desired opacity.

Step seven: Once the paint is completely dry, remove the tape from the top section, taking extra care and time when removing the layer that edges the paint.

Step eight: Using a complimentary wool colour, cut two even lengths and tie both around the neck of the bottle, so the weight is evenly distributed and the wool is secure enough to hold the weight.

Step nine: Fill with water to a level below the paint line and add a flower to compliment the colour you have used then hang and enjoy!

Hi Emily,
Perhaps you could try spraypaint from a $2 shop, rather than the more expensive hardware store varieties. They generally have cans for a few dollars. We were very fortunate to score a whole lot of cans from a friend, so were spoilt for choice with colours. Good luck!

When I was a kid we would take a bucket of water, drop in blobs of paints then dip the bottles into the water, swirl them or just pull them straight up from the water. The paint would stick and make pretty one of a kind painted bottles.